Reanimated
by Nebulash
Summary: A war for survival is about to break out and Charles and Erik find themselves caught in the middle. But this time it's not the humans they're fighting, it's the undead.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello Readers! This is my very first fanfiction so please bear with me! I'm a busy college student but I'll do my very best to keep this fic updated. Hope you enjoy what I've written so far and please leave feedback if you can!**

**I don't know if you guys are having this problem but I can't seem to be able to access chapter 2 from this chapter. There's no drop down menu. If that happens to you just change the /1/ in the URL to /2/ and it should work. **

**I'm not sure what the problem is, Chapter 2 exists but the drop down menu does not! I'm quite new to this site so if this is something normal then excuse me for being a noob. *_*;;**

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><p>The sight was almost too much for him. Their bodies convulsing and contorting and then going painfully still. Dead, but not for long. It was only a matter of minutes before they sprung back to life. Hungry and wanting.<p>

Erik watched in disbelief as his people, once again, were rounded up and sectioned apart. Forced into rooms in single filed lines. They were in a building somewhere, he wasn't sure where. It had all happened so quickly. While he had been on a mission with Azazel and Emma they had been surrounded by men in suits. It had been some kind of trap. They were supposedly responding to a distress call from a fellow mutant but it had been a ruse. The humans had somehow managed to devise a radio signal that prevented the use of any powers. Azazel was unable to teleport them to safety. Without their powers to protect them they were taken. Handcuffed and thrown into vans.

The humans had finally discovered a cure. A cure that would rip apart mutant DNA and destroy mutant genes. It had originally been developed as a cure for cancer. But the humans would rather destroy than heal.

Once inside the building they were led down a corridor to a large room. Hundreds of mutants were inside. Men women and children all with their hands bound and worried expressions on their faces. One of the walls to the large room was glass. There was another room on the other side.

Erik was pushed to the side by a government soldier. The mutants were separated and pushed into groups. Luckily Azazel, Emma and Erik all remained together. Another group of mutants was forced into a door that led to the other side of the glass room. A man in a suit appeared and raised his voice.

"Mutants, we have finally learned how to put an end to your reign of violence and terror. This cure will turn you into normal civilized human beings. Inequality will end and we can hope to move on towards a more peaceful future. We will administer the very first dosage of the cure here today in front of you all."

Erik was fuming yet fearful, these people were going to destroy him, destroy his people. It was a demonstration. A demonstration of cruelty and Erik had been here before Losing his gift was worse than death, being rounded up and humiliated was worse than death. Before he could react, a haze filled the glass room. All of the mutants contained inside began to cough and heave. Screams and gasps were audible from Erik's side of the glass as they were left to watch their friends and family stripped of their rights and their passed out faster than others but it was only a matter of time before everyone in the room was lying on the floor. They looked dead Erik thought. Erik turned to look at the uniformed humans that had been guarding the rooms, they all looked concerned and were whispering in hushed voices. Erik was unable to make out anything they had to say.

The bodies in the room started convulsing and contorting in horrible ways. Arms and legs were bent in impossible ways. An allergic reaction to the cure perhaps, surely everything was going to be okay in the end. Erik watched in disbelief as his people, stripped of their power, thrived around on the floor. All at once they became very still.

One by one, their eyes began to open, but there was something wrong. Their normally brown and blue eyes were white and grey with death. Their veins had risen to the surface of their skin and were highly visible. They bared their teeth like they were hungry, and wanting. The mutants on Erik's side of the glass began to scream and panic. This was wrong. Everything was wrong. The cure hadn't worked and now those mutants were dead. They were dead but messed up beyond comprehension and he had to escapce. He would not be left to the same fate. The uniformed people began to point their guns into the crowd, which did nothing but worsen the situation.

The mutants inside the glass room began to break into a frenzy. They were ripping apart the tables and chairs left in the room and using them to break through the glass. The glass was not shatterproof and soon the whole window was shattering into pieces. One of the undead mutants broke free and took a lunge towards a live mutant biting into his skin and tearing off flesh. He screamed and ran but there was nowhere to go. He was shot by one of the uniformed men as they started to flee.

Erik grabbed Azazel and Emma. He was trying to keep calm in the chaos that surrounded him. He had been through this, he was stronger than this and he was going to escape at all costs. The radio signal was still broadcasting throughout the buildings complex. None of them could use their powers. They were outnumbered by the undead mutants who now looked more like animals than humans. Erik pushed his way through as many people as he could and followed the path of the uniformed men.

An undead mutant broke free from the original area and made a run for Erik and his crew. Azazel did his best to fight off the enraged mutant but was unable to avoid a huge bite out of his shoulder. The undead mutant retreated, happy with his spoils as Emma and Erik pulled Azazel out of the way.

They ran through the complex trying to find an exit. The building must have been meant to contain prisoners. Hallways seemed to never end and when they did, they emptied into dead ends and glass rooms similar to where their ill-fated brethren had met their end. They eventually stumbled upon a gigantic hole that had been busted into the side of the building. The fresh air felt welcoming against the dead stale air inside the building. The mutants squeezed through the hole and ran as fast as they could.

Azazel was bleeding very heavily making him unable to teleport even out of the radio signal's reach. Erik did his best to rip up part of his pant leg and create a makeshift bandage for his teammate until they could get back to their base and provide him with adequate medical help. When the bleeding had slowed Azazel managed to teleport them one by one back to their headquarters where Janos and Raven awaited.

Charles awoke suddenly. Flashes of terror shot through his brain. He could see figures thrashing and then just pain and suffering and fear. He looked towards the clock. Half passed 7 in the morning. The sunshine belting through his window created a stark contrast from the images left burned in his mind. It was probably time to get up anyways he thought to himself.

He got out of bed and walked to the kitchen. Still feeling shaken, he hoped a cup of tea would calm his mind. As he walked in, he saw Hank sitting at the table.

"Goodmorning Hank how ar-"

"They've found a cure Professor" Hank laid the paper down carefully on the table, eyes burning holes through it.

"I'm sorry Hank, what?"

"The humans, they've found a cure. According to this article they've already captured hundreds of mutants and exposed them to it without their consent." Hank sounded furious but terrified at the same time. He had once loved to have found a cure for his mutation. He had even tried to discover one himself, but it had only backfired and made his mutation more powerful. This was different. This was murder. This was beyond unethical and he couldn't stand to think of people getting their gifts ripped away from them.

"I can't believe it. How can this be? Surely the government wouldn't allow such, an atrocity on human rights"

"We aren't human Professor, It's over, we've lost"

Charles could only think of Erik and Raven and how much he hoped they would stay unharmed and unchanged.

Erik, Azazel and Emma materialized back at their head quarters. Azazel was starting to become weak and was losing a decent amount of blood. They were exteremely lucky to have made it back in one piece in the state he was in.

Erik knew that they needed to grab as much of their belongings as possible and flee to Charles' home in Westchester. The house was so isolated he knew nobody would bother them there. The government obviously had caught on to Erik's plans and it was only a matter of time before they tracked him down. Charles, Erik though to himself, he would know what to do. Erik had been right after all, the humans only wanted to hurt his kind. Charled could not except it in the past, but now he would have to. Erik would make him accept it. He wouldn't let the one person he cared about fall victim to the human's disgraceful actions.

"Erik! What's going on? Theres been reports of a cure? I've been so worried I didn't know what to do. With you gone and everything I-" Raven had appeared. Her face covered in worry and fear.

"Raven I need for you to go get everything you want to keep with you, not too much, just the essentials. We might not be back here for a while. The humans have indeed found a cure but it kills as well." He felt as though he should leave out the whole, reanimation and walking dead detail. Raven looked worried enough as it is, that could be explained at a later time.

"Where are we going? We need to find Charles"

"Yes we're going to Westchester to regroup with Charles and the boys. We should be safer there and we'll be stronger with greater numbers."

Raven looked slightly relieved, she hurried off to her room. Erik explained the same to Janos, Emma and Azazel. He promised Azazel medical treatment once they arrived at Westchester. He carefully rebandaged up Azazel's arm the best he could and packed a small bag of clothes.

Azazel explained that the he would take Erik and Raven to Westchester but Janos, Emma and himself had no interest in staying. He said they would go somewhere else and wait out the extinctions until mutants could strike back. He knew of a mutant doctor and would seek medical treatment there. Erik hesitantly agreed. He would be stuck at Westchester for an undetermined amount of time without Azazel but at least he would be with Charles and the other kids.

Once everyone had collected their belongings Azazel linked arms with Raven and Erik and in a second of smoke and haze they were standing outside of the mansion. Erik turned to Azazel to bid him farewell and give him his thanks but Azazel had doubled over in pain. Erik bent down to him and shouted at Raven to go and get help. She ran off as fast as she could.

"Azazel, can you hear me? What's the matter, is it your arm?" Erik shook the man trying to get a response but it wasn't working.

Azazel collapsed to the ground and started convulsing. This was too familiar to Erik who suddenly had the horrible realization. Azazel was becoming what they had fled from the previous night. He was dying and when he came back to life, he would be hungry for flesh.

Raven had run come back with Hank and Charles.

"Erik? What's going on here, Why are you here?"

"Stay back!"Erik shouted, He didn't want anyone to get to close. When Azazel had stopped moving Erik placed to fingers where his pulse should be. Nothing.

"He's dead. Azazel is dead" Raven clasped her hands over her mouth and sunk to the ground. She had been rather fond of him. His devilish appearance masked a rather charming personality and they had become quite close. Tears spilled down her blue-scaled cheeks.

Erik placed Azazel's lifeless body on the ground. He knew what was coming next. He backed away slowly holding Azazel in place with his power. The metallic buttons and zippers on Azazel's clothes responded to his gift. When Azazel came back to life, he would be ready, and nobody was going to get bitten or hurt.

"Erik what are you doing? What happened? Why did you leave him there? I don't understand" Charles looked horrified and scared. What was Erik doing here? Did this have to do with the cure? Why was Azazel killed?

"Charles, please" the pain in Erik's voice was evident, he had cared for Azazel too, they had been team mates and he hadn't been able to deliver the medical attention he had promised. "Just trust me. Whatever you see now, please just trust me, don't be scared."

Azazel's body began to twitch once again, everyone looked on in horror. Erik maintained his control over the body. Azazel once again began to move, he stood up. His eyes had turned from light blue to glazed over and grey. His skin lost it's bright red hue and almost looked faded and old. He made horrible sounds. Gasping and growling. Like an animal. He reached out towards the living mutants and tried to run but Erik still had full control of his body.

"This is what the cure does to Mutants. This is what the humans are doing to our people" Erik said. Distraut, he didn't know what to do. He didn't understand how this could be possible. Dead mutants, walking around. Hungry for flesh and bone and life. He didn't know what to do with Azazel. Was he truly dead or was he just extremely sick? And if he actually was dead, what had he become? How were they to kill something that was already dead.

Erik looked back at Charles, Hank and Raven. Nobody could move, nobody knew what to do. Erik's stomach dropped when he heard the sound. The all too familiar sound of Azazel's teleport. Erik looked back to where Azazel had been standing nothing but a faint bit of smoke left floating in the air. Azazel was gone.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! Chapter 2 should be up sometime tonight or tomorrow.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello readers! Chapter 2 is now up. I'm extremely excited about this fic and I hope you are too! Reviews would be greatly appreciated as this is my very first fanfic! (Hope I'm doing it right!)**

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><p><em>Charles turned on the television and sat down on the sofa. The news was about to start, but it wasn't current events Charles was looking for.<em>

"_Five government officials were killed today after an explosion at a government building. Police report that they are having trouble finding bomb fragments and are unsure of what caused the explosion. Fowl play is suspected as the tragedy is similar to other bombings that have taken place over the past couple of months. The government officials were discussing a law that pertained to mutant rights and would have limited people with mutant abilities to vote in elections. Under the law all senators and representatives proven to have mutations would be dismissed from congress. The Brotherhood, a mutant society responsible for multiple crimes against humanity is suspected to have ties to these events. Police are continuing their investigation." _

_Charles sighed. He knew exactly who was responsible and it hurt like hell. What was the point of dwelling in the past? He had his school to run now and plenty of gifted children to keep him busy and distracted. _

"_Why are you watching that crap Professor?" Alex appeared from the kitchen _

"_Just catching up on my news Alex, nothing to be concerned about."_

"_I don't think so, you don't care much for the news. You say it's discouraging and disappointing."_

"_Yes but today I felt like..."_

"_You were looking for him Professor. I know you and it's time to move on. He's not the man we all thought he was."_

" _I know I'm just...Thank you Alex." Charles mustered up the most meaningful smile that he could. "Let's have a good day today okay?"_

"_Sounds good Prof." Alex turned and left._

_Charles looked down at his feet. Erik please stay safe, I don't believe you've changed completely, I still believe in the man you were._

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><p>"What do we do?" Raven sounded frantic. She didn't understand anything that had happened at all. Erik had told her the Cure had the ability to kill mutants, but Azazel hadn't been injected. What in hell made him come back to life?<p>

Erik sighed, "We wait for him to come back I suppose"

"I doubt he'll return. His mind was highly unstable and confusing, like being inside a nightmare." Charles spoke softly. "It was as if he had gone mad, yet I've read the minds of madmen before and this was completely different. Insane people still feel human to me, but this...this was something else entirely. He probably doesn't even remember that he was here." Charles looked at Erik. "Why don't we go inside, it seems we have many things to discuss."

Erik nodded and inside the mansion they went.

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><p>The mansion was a different place entirely than the last time Erik had lived there. Many of the rooms were now occupied with young mutants who were seeking training from Charles. It pleased Erik that Charles' dream was coming true, at least in part, but hard times were coming and Erik knew these children were going to become a burden sooner or later.<p>

Charles summoned the older mutants to the living room where he expected Erik to explain the strange events. If the humans were really killing mutants by the hundreds, action needed to be taken. Charles always aimed for peace but a line had been drawn. He would not allow his students to become whatever had become of Azazel.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Charles could feel the anger radiating from Alex's mind.

/please don't make a scene Alex, all will be explained shortly. Trust me this once./ He managed to transfer a quick image of undead Azazel. He didn't want to alarm Alex, but he needed him to trust Erik. They couldn't be divided like they had been once. He felt the anger in Alex's mind become confusion and curiosity, much better.

"Good Afternoon students. As you may see we have quite the guest today. I know this may seem shocking to you but Erik is an old friend of mine and he has seen some disturbing things recently. He has come here to warn us and help us. I ask that you show him respect. There are very important things that need to be discussed and we need to remain together and united."

Erik was nervous. He had on some scale betrayed these mutants. They didn't believe in his cause and he hoped like hell that they would swallow their pride and understand the terrible things that were happening.

"I'm sure some of you are aware that the humans have been working on a "cure" for what they call our "condition". I'm here to inform you that they have actually accomplished this task." audible gasps where heard throughout the room. "I'd like to tell you that that's the end of my story but it unfortunately is not. The so-called cure is a failure. Instead of leaving us without our gifts it kills us. Somehow, mutants murdered by the cure come back to life shortly after they die. I'm not sure of the full effects but it almost seems as though the cure is actually more similar to a disease.

The students stared at him in bewilderment. He decided to continue "I was captured with my teammates while on a mission the other night. I saw one of the first dosages of the cure administered to about 50 mutants. They all came back from the dead hungry for flesh. My teammate Azazel was bitten and he suffered a similar fate to those that had direct contact with the cure, even though he had not been administered the cure personally. This disease must be highly contagious and if the reports are true and mutants have been injected with the cure in large masses across the nation, we may have a very serious epidemic on our hands."

Erik looked towards Charles.

/I need your help my friend. We'll be stronger in large numbers. The humans have made their move, we need to make ours/ Erik thought hard at Charles.

\We'll discuss this later when the children aren't around/

The room broke out into a frenzy of voices. Everyone was scared and they had every right to be.

"Enough everyone" Charles boomed over the crowd. "We should be safe here inside the school but I need to emphasize that nobody needs to leave the school perimeters unless they are granted special permission by me. Erik and Raven will be staying with us now and I'd like you to respect them. They are our friends and no matter what comes our way we must stay united. Please try not to alarm the younger children. Security will be doubled and anyone found outside beyond curfew or without permission will be heavily punished." Charles paused and took a look around the room. He cared so much about each and every student and would do anything he could to protect them. The worried expressions on their faces hurt him. He didn't want them to fear. He wanted a world where humans and mutants could live in peace, but that no longer looked possible.

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><p>Erik walked down the long hallway leading to Charles' room. Three of the much younger children were running down the hall. One of them, a small girl with long brown hair ran towards him. Erik braced himself for the impact with the girl but was surprised to see she had passed right through him. The sensation rendered him a bit dizzy for a second.<p>

"Oh Sorry Mr. Magneto sir. The professor told me not to phase through people, but I didn't want to crash into you."

"You can call me Erik and it's quite alright my dear. That's quite a power you have there. May I ask you your name?"

"My name's Katherine but you can call me Kitty."

"Well Kitty, it's a pleasure to meet you. Go play with your friends, it looks like they're waiting for you."

They were waiting indeed. The other two children had run behind a wall and were peaking out behind it with worried expressions on their faces. Erik supposed these kids had seen him as the enemy until today. It made complete sense that they were a little uncomfortable around him.

"Oh right, well it was nice talking to you Mr. Magne- I mean Mr. Erik!" and with that, Kitty was off and running towards the other children.

Erik felt a pang of guilt in his chest. He couldn't help but feel like it was his fault the humans had devised a cure and that it was causing such a terrifying reaction. He felt responsible for it and felt like he was playing a big part in what was about to permanently change many of these children's lives.

/You can't think that way my friend. It's nobodies fault. Don't let what you've seen in the past few days get the best of you. We'll protect the children./

\Charles please get out of my head.\

/You were thinking loudly enough that I could hear you without any effort. Will you please come to the library so we can talk?/

Erik opened the door to the library. It was exactly the same as he remembered. Charles' impressive collection of books adorned every wall. But he was not here for recreation and relaxation. There were very important matters to discuss.

"Erik, before you say anything, I need to make this very clear. I know the hatred you hold for mankind has done nothing but grow stronger with the turn of recent events, but I have many young impressionable children living here now." Charles sucked in a deep breath. He could feel the urgency and fear in Erik's mind. "I need you to promise that, no matter what happens, you will respect their innocence and do your best to keep them sheltered. Many of them were abandoned by their parents and I am completely responsible for their livelihood now. I can't have them seeing the anger you hold within and I can't bear to let them see death."

"Of course Charles. The children will be kept safe at all costs. We just need to take some kind of action towards the humans. I'd like to go out there and murder every last man in charge of this goddamn cure but if we are going to compromise and work together, I know that will not work."

Charles looked up at Erik. Charles would not openly admit it, but if the cure was responsible for the murder of hundreds of brilliant, gifted people, he wouldn't mind killing a few men too. He couldn't let Erik know that. There wouldn't be a human being left alive if he did.

Charles sighed, "With security increased I feel as though we should remain calm and see what happens in the next few days. The humans might have the cure under control. Until we know exactly what it is that we are dealing with, I can't have my friends going out to explore a world that might be incredibly dangerous."

"I suppose that sounds reasonable. As long as you promise that action will be taken if we discover what we are up against."

Erik respected Charles' position. He couldn't expect them to wage war against humanity this quickly, but he knew better than anyone that action would need to be taken sooner or later. He just didn't want to run into any undead mutants, not after Azazel.

"You have my word. I can't stand the idea of killing innocent people, but if these men become murderers they are not so innocent anymore." Charles smiled. "It really is good to see you again my friend."

"It's good to see you too Charles, I just wish I wasn't here on such strange circumstance."

Erik turned to leave. "Goodnight Charles, let's hope tomorrow brings a brighter day."

It had been an incredibly long day and he wasn't sure what tomorrow would bring. He needed to be well rested if he was going to help protect the school and his friends. Charles had informed him that the school was protected by a special alarm system that Hank had devised. Nobody should be able to trespass without being caught and the school's senior students were ready to defend the school at any time and need.

Erik opened the door to his bedroom, the same one he had lived in before he had killed Shaw. The closet was surprisingly still full of his clothes, shoes and other belongings. It almost felt like home.

Erik settled down into the bed. It was much more comfy and plush than anywhere he had slept in months. It wasn't long before he was drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

That was when a huge explosion rattled the very foundation of the mansion, and the glass window in Erik's room shattered into thousands of pieces.

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><p><strong>Thanks so much for reading! Chapter 3 should be up in the next couple of days! Review if you can!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone! So sorry this Chapter took so long to post. I've been really busy with school and I managed to get sick for the 3rd time this month. The story should be picking up now so I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it~**

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><p><em>"I don't understand this obsession you have with killing Shaw. I understand you want revenge but why can't you see that killing Shaw just brings you down to his level. You can rise above him, be better than him." Charles looked at his friend over the game of Chess. They had been having a wonderful day of training. Erik had made some major improvements and Charles was in high spirits, but there was still a couple things about Erik that really irked him.<em>

_"Charles Please, not this again." Erik closed his eyes. He had an extremely bad headache and was quite tired from a long day of training. He had been over this with Charles a hundred times before and he was frankly getting sick of it. "I know you want me to fit into this perfect mold. But I'm not perfect Charles. I'm sorry that you think I am."_

_Charles shook his head. He didn't mean to anger Erik._

_"No friend, it's not that I want you to be perfect, I just want us to agree."_

_Erik stood up from his chair._

_"Well Charles, I hate to say it but we might never agree. I try my hardest to please you. I've curved my anger, I've tried to stay calm and be the man you want me to be but I can't take this anymore. I accept you and love you for who you are. I don't agree with you, but that's okay because I understand that we can have our differences. I just want the same. Why can't you love me for who I actually am? You're only on my side when I agree with you, when I'm being the Erik that you want. It isn't fair and it hurts. It hurts that you want to change me."_

_"Erik I'm Sorry. I honestly...I had no idea" Charles looked like he was about to cry. Erik saw that and his anger vaporized. "I just, want what's best for you."_

_Erik let out an audible sigh and sank back down into his chair. Charles was the one person he couldn't stay mad at. It was his weakness and he really didn't understand why._

_"I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to get angry. It's just frustrating sometimes. Has it ever occurred to you that what __**you**__ think is best for me, might not be what is right for me?"_

_"I suppose. I'm really sorry my friend. Please forgive me." Charles looked up at Erik. He honestly felt horrible. Charles had always been the big brother figure to Raven. It was hard to change those ways. He wanted to help Erik, to protect him and to show him the "right" way. He had forgotten that Erik was extremely independent and to him, Charles' way was not always "right." "I do love you for who you are, very much so."_

_Erik smiled_

_"Shall we continue our game then?"_

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><p>Erik quickly jumped out of bed and ducked beside his bed in order to dodge the flying glass that was hurdling in his direction. He had to get out of this room. He had to find Charles.<p>

A man dressed in an army uniform stepped through the window and entered Erik's room. Erik could sense the metal on his clothes and the metal gun in his hands.

Erik needed a weapon. He remembered he had kept a knife hidden away in his closet. He could still sense its presence. Luckily it hadn't been discovered and removed in the months that he had been away. It flew into his hand.

Erik closed his eyes. He carefully sensed all the metal on the man, a bulletproof vest - that would make things difficult. He carefully scoped out the areas where the metal in the vest did not protect the man. He quickly took the knife he had retrieved and sent through the armor, straight into the flesh the man's neck.

The man let out a cry and fell to the floor. Erik pulled the knife back into his hand and wiped the blood off on his bed sheets. He sheathed the knife and put it in his pants pocket.

He opened the door and quickly escaped. Explosions were still shaking the mansion. Alex and Hank were running down the hallway. It looked as though they were checking the rooms for children and other mutants that needed help. More uniformed men were running towards them down the hallway. Alex took them out with a single blow.

Erik figured he would leave them to it. They were perfectly capable of defending themselves and he needed to find Charles.

Erik headed in the direction of Charles' room. The mansion was beginning to catch fire. They were trying to smoke them out of the mansion. It was becoming extremely difficult to see and even more difficult to breathe, but Erik wasn't about to give up.

"Mr. Magneto!" The voice came out of nowhere. It was Kitty.

Erik turned towards the girl's voice "Kitty where are you?"

The little girl walked out from inside a wall.

"I was hiding, I figured nobody would find me but it's getting so hard to breath. I'm so scared"

"It's okay now, I'm here. We need to get out of here. Are there other children around?"

"No I think some of them ran away," Tears began to fill her eyes and roll down onto her cheeks, "I was just too scared. Big men with guns were walking down here. A few of the children got captured."

Erik held out his hand and started walking away. "It's alright dear you're going to be fine now and we'll get the other children back. We need to find the Professor."

"The Professor said to go down into the bunker. I heard him in my head."

"Right, Kitty do you know how to get there? I've never been down there before"

"Yeah, Hold onto my hand Mr. M- Erik and I can bring you through the walls with me"

They started to run. Erik did as Kitty said and held onto her hand. They passed through obstacles with ease and made it to the bunker safely.

"The door is right here Mr. Erik. It looks like a wall but it's actually a door!"

Erik nodded

"Go inside Kitty, tell the Professor I'm okay. I'll be right there but I need to see what we're up against"

Erik ran around the side of the mansion. It was completely in flames now. He hoped that Alex and Hank had managed to rescue all of the students inside. If not, it was too late to do anything for them now. A tank and what looked to be about 50 soldiers were gathering outside. It was a lot of men, too many to handle alone. He decided to retreat back to the bunker and relay what he had just witnessed to the other mutants. Maybe together they could pull through. Somehow.

The bunker was hidden underground and was hard to find unless you knew where to look. Erik made sure to be as discrete as possible when entering the hidden door. He had no idea there was someone watching him.

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><p>Moira MacTaggert had been informed to stay by the tanks. She had led the army to this mansion, which was apparently full of mutants. She had no idea how she knew the way. She had apparently been working with these mutants during the Cuban missile crisis but had absolutely no recollection of the event at all. Yet, there was some part of her subconscious that remembered this place. Everything felt so familiar.<p>

She had seen a man appear from behind the bushes and wanted to get a better look at him.

Moira didn't really agree with the way that her fellow CIA government members were going about curing the mutants. If anything, she despised it, but the tensions had become so strong that if she hadn't led the government to this mansion she would have been killed.

Moira followed the man as quietly as she could. He opened up a rather ordinary looking section of the wall that opened up to a staircase. The man went inside and shut the door behind him.

"MacTaggert what are you doing? I thought we told you to stay by the tank." General Lenton had appeared behind her. He was a big man, a mean man, and she knew better than to cross him.

"Sorry sir I just thought I saw something."

"Was it a mutant? You better tell me now. You know what the penalty will be If we find out later that you were lying."

"No sir I promise, I didn't see anything."

Lenton cocked his gun and held it to her temple.

"Let me be honest, I don't believe you sweet heart. You were a mutant sympathizer once and I don't care if you've mysteriously forgotten everything. I think you're hiding something from me. Now Spit. It. Out."

Moira took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She could feel the cold metal of his gun on her forehead. She didn't want to die. Not here, not like this. These mutants didn't trust her enough to leave her with months of precious memories. She didn't owe them a single thing. She walked over to the section of wall she had seen the man open.

"There's a door right here, I think the mutants are inside."

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><p>Erik hurried down the stairs and down the long hallway that led to the main section of the bunker. The large door was shut but made out of metal. He easily unlocked it with his powers. The door swung open to reveal his friends huddled together. Charles was in the middle comforting his students.<p>

He looked up.

"Erik! Hurry inside, you're the last person unaccounted for."

A Wave of relief washed over Erik. Charles and the students were safe. As safe, as they could be during these terrible times. He would use his gifts to seal all the doors nobody would be able to get in. It would be safe. They would simply have to wait out the attack and hope nobody would find them. But how could anyone know how to find this place.

_BANG_

Erik felt the bullet go straight through his shoulder. The pain didn't register until seconds later. He fell to his knees. He hardly heard Charles scream his name. Everything was going blurry. He couldn't pass out. Not here.

"Hey mutant scum, didn't think we'd find you down here did you? My little friend Moira MacTaggert showed me the way down here. That name ring a bell?"

Lenton picked Erik up by the collar of his shirt. The pain was excruciating but he wouldn't give this human the satisfaction of knowing so. Lenton threw his body to the ground towards the mutants. Charles scrambled across the floor and picked Erik up in his arms. He closed his eyes and focused on the pain in Erik's mind. He gently lifted and blocked it out as best as he could. He felt Erik relax.

"My name is George Lenton and I'm gonna need you guys to get out of your little hiding spot here and line up outside. We have a little present for you."

Alex, blind with range, started to conjure a plasma ring around his body.

"I don't think so," Lenton cocked his gun and pointed it at Charles, "We wouldn't want anyone else to get shot now would we?"

Alex relaxed and the ring disappeared. His anger wouldn't get them anywhere now. This man had shot Erik, there was no reason that he wouldn't do it again.

One of the smaller mutants began to cry. Sean quickly pulled the boy into his arms, trying to comfort him to the best of his ability.

Lenton was becoming impatient, "Shut that thing up and lets go, NOW. Anyone who doesn't follow will be shot immediately. Children too"

Charles gently lifted Erik up. He heard Erik wince. Not good. He was bleeding quite a lot and needed medical attention. /I'm so sorry Erik. We'll get you to a doctor as soon as we can/

\Yeah right, we're all as good as dead now Charles. Unless you have a plan\

/Don't count us out just yet my friend./

Charles felt sick to his stomach. He knew they needed a miracle but the plan he had hatching in his head just might work. Erik was severely wounded and his friends and family were now in the hands of one of the most horrible people he had ever had the displeasure of meeting.

He went into Raven's mind,

/I have a plan/

\What? What is it Charles?\

/You remember what Lenton here looks like right? I'm going to need you to turn into him. Maybe you can command the troops to back off for a bit./

\But He's still alive. He'll kill you if he sees me change\

/Just leave that to me./

The mutants followed Lenton out of the bunker and into the cold night air. They wouldn't be safe in the bunker anymore. Not if Moira somehow knew their location. Waiting in the bunker would simply but them all in more danger.

Charles closed his eyes. He had never killed a person before. But his family and friends were depending on him.

He entered into Lenton's mind. What he saw was sickening. Hundreds of mutants "cured." That meant hundreds of undead bodies walking the Earth. Lenton moved from area to area curing mutants, he never stuck around long enough to see what they would become. He honestly thought the cure was working. How wrong he was. Charles took his life with a single thought. He destroyed his mind completely. Good riddance. Lenton collapsed and Raven transformed.

Charles felt dizzy from the strain of killing the man. He knelt down to the ground bringing Erik with him. He laid Erik down on the grass and propped his head up with his knees.

Erik felt incredibly faint but found comfort in the fact that he was with Charles and the students. He felt safe somehow.

\Charles? What's going on? Everything is so blurred\ Even Erik's thought sounded weak.

/Don't worry my friend, everything will be okay./ Charles leaned down and placed a kiss on Erik's forehead.

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><p>Moira MacTaggert hadn't moved since she had told Lenton where the mutants were hiding. She didn't want to return to the tanks. She felt like a traitor. She couldn't remember what had happened between her and the mutants, but she couldn't help but feel like they had become friends.<p>

The night air was completely still. She sighed and looked up at the sky. A strange rustling sound was coming from the forest behind her, regardless of the lack of wind. Before she could look around to investigate the origin of the noise. She was grabbed by a bony, rotting hand. An undead mutant pulled her across the ground and within seconds, five of them were around her, biting into her flesh.

She let out a horrifying scream.

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><p><strong>Next chapter will be up asap! Thanks so much for reading! please leave review if you can!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! It took a really long time for this to update! My apologies, I've been extremely busy with school. Hopefully it is worth the wait! Reviews would mean a lot so please leave one if you can! **

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><p>Erik didn't usually dream, but when he did, it was a blur of terrorizing fears; Memories of the camps, of Shaw, and occasionally of Charles. He would remember the day they parted ways. Relive it over and over again. The sadness was enough to wake him up in tears, but of course he kept that to himself.<p>

He didn't completely understand why it had hurt him so badly. He'd managed to get Charles to a hospital in time for the damage to not become permanent. His friend would not be in a wheelchair. Though the idea that they would not be able to continue to work towards common goals was painful, the fact that Charles would be safe and happy made up for it a million times over.

This time, Erik was having a rather decent dream, something that made his subconscious slightly uncomfortable. He closed his eyes as he let the rays of the sun engulf him in a feeing of warmth. He found himself outside of Charles' mansion. Children, students he assumed, were playing cheerfully with one another in the garden. He walked towards the mansion's huge wooden doors and stepped inside. The rooms were slightly warped and unrealistic. The hints of familiarity were masked by insecurity and confusion.

The hallways, eerily empty and hazy, left a bad feeling in the pit of Erik's stomach. He could sense that something was extremely off, but continued to explore.

Erik could hear voices coming from somewhere behind closed doors. They sounded so distant he was unable to make sense of what they were saying. The hallway stretched as he made his way down it, the doors becoming an impossible distance. He attempted to open a few of them with his power but was unable to do so. He was couldn't use his gift.

Suddenly a door appeared before him. It was to the library. He was relieved to find that it was unlocked and close enough for him to enter.

He could not have prepared himself for what he saw inside.

The library was in a disastrous state. Books were torn and thrown across the room. Some of the walls were crumbling and the ceiling looked as though it could cave in at any second. The chessboard that he and Charles had once used was tipped over on its side, the pieces scattered across the floor. There was no sign of any inhabitants, until he felt someone's presence.

"So you've decided to come back I see"

It was Charles. His clothes were torn and his face was bloodied. There was something eerily different about him. He looked much slimmer, more haggard than Erik had remembered. He could not feel the familiarity he once could behind his friends sunken-in eyes.

"You abandoned us Erik, you left us when we needed you the most. Because of you, the children are dead. You killed them Erik. Their blood is on your hands."

Erik attempted to speak but no sound would come from his mouth. He could see the bloodied knife that Charles held in his hand. His expression bordered on the line of insanity. Erik could feel his own pulse in his head. He didn't understand what was going on at all, and the fact that he was unable to speak worsened

his fears.

"I can't let you leave here Erik. You've left once, you're not leaving me again." In what seemed like a flash, Charles was now behind him and was mere centimeters away. His breath felt icy cold on the back of Erik's neck.

Charles let out a shivering whisper. "They're coming for you, my friend."

At that instant, Charles shoved the knife into Erik's shoulder. The pain was excruciating. A hundred times worse than an ordinary stab wound. He sunk to his knees, Charles sinking with him.

The walls and floor beneath them began to crumble and the pain caused Erik's vision to bur and fade to white.

The last thing Erik heard before succumbing to the pain was a sharp whisper from his old friend.

_"Lebe, so dass du erneut leben magst"_

_Live, so that you may live again._

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><p>Erik awoke gasping for air. It was pitch-black dark, must have been the middle of the night. Pain shot through his shoulder, sparking his memory. He had been shot, and Charles had been with him. The government was attacking when he had passed out. Where was he? How long had he been asleep?<p>

He felt something move beside him. Something warm. Startled and scared, he punched it, hard.

"OUCH, Bloody Hell, what the...Erik? You're awake!"

Charles familiar voice was music to his ears.

"Charles? Please I'm so thirsty, water!" Erik's voice came out in a croak. However long he had been asleep, he hadn't been able to drink.

Charles quickly put a water bottle to his lips. He drank like there was no tomorrow.

"I'm sorry Charles, I didn't know it was you. I'm so confused. What's happening? Where did the government go? How long have I been asleep?" Erik attempted to sit up further but was halted by the pain in his shoulder, causing him to wince.

He felt a warm hand on his back, calming him.

"My friend, there are many things we need to discuss, but you're very hurt and need to take it easy. We are completely safe at the moment. I'll explain everything in the morning, but for now, we all need some rest."

Charles fluffed whatever Erik was laying his head on, It felt like clothing, a jacket perhaps and pulled the blanket over him.

"I'll be right next to you if you need anything" Charles grabbed Erik's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Erik didn't want to let go.

He didn't understand the circumstance of his safety, but he trusted Charles. Charles was brilliant, it was no surprise they had somehow gotten out of that mess.

Erik just hoped that all of the other mutants were safe. He could hear faint snores around him and took comfort in knowing that they were probably all right, at least for the moment. His mind was buzzing with thoughts and questions, but he felt extremely weak and tired. Charles was right, he needed as much rest as he could get. There wasn't much that could be done in this darkness.

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><p>Charles laid down and got comfortable next to Erik.<p>

The world was changing, ending even perhaps, and Charles really couldn't fathom what was happening. He had seen the army retreat into the forest after Raven had convinced them to leave (In the form of Lenton of course), but they had only made it a few feet into the trees before their cries of terror had been audible.

A hoard of undead mutants and humans had made their way to the mansion. They must have been drawn to the area from the amount of sound from the explosions. Serves the government right for blowing up his school. Hank had picked up Erik and carried him while Charles had rounded up the children. The older students had helped carry the younger ones into safety.

While the undead feasted on the army and government men, Charles and his students had escaped. Raven had cleverly disguised herself as one of the undead mutants. She had even managed to mimic the decaying of their skin and feign the illusion of death. She returned safely and had been helping take care of the younger students. While with the government, she had discovered that their main goal had been to cure the mutants at the school. They had gotten information that the school had been training very powerful mutants. The government saw it as a priority to take out the school before the students had time to retaliate.

Charles understood that the cure somehow caused mutants to come back to life, but he did not understand the severity of the situation. He prayed that the government was devising a cure for the undead, but if the attack on his school was any indication, he wasn't hopeful. The humans had cared more about destroying the mutants than they had to think about the repercussions of the cure. Based on the amount of undead that had been attacking the army that night, the disease was spreading extremely quickly. His mansion in Westchester was located in isolation so surely the effect would be less noticeable out here. He wondered about the city. So many people living in such proximity, How would they fare?

Had the army not been there to supply fresh meat, they may not have been so lucky. They had managed to make it into another hidden underground bunker. One only Charles knew the location to. The door was hidden under a layer of dirt in the forest, away from the mansion and area where the government and army were being attacked. None of the undead had invaded that area, but it was only a matter of time before they had finished devouring those men and turned to look for more flesh. Charles knew the bunker was only a temporary fix, but they needed a place to hide.

Erik had passed out that night and slept through the next day. When the sun rose, the other mutants, Logan, Jean, Scott, and Alex had carefully raided the ruined mansion for supplies. There were only a few undead mutants remaining in the area. Some were obviously civilians and others were members of the army that hadn't been completely killed in the battle. The others must have wandered off in the search of more life and meat. The four students had used their powers to take them out the remaining undead. To their horror, a blow to the body didn't kill them. The only way they were able to completely kill them was to give them a hard blow to the head. The disease affected their brains and until it was destroyed or damaged, they were still able to function. They had all come back extremely shaken up by the sights they had witnessed. There was very little left of the men and women that had attacked the mansion. Bodies had been ripped apart and strewn across the area. Nobody was identifiable; it was just a bloody mess of organs and limbs.

The students had tried their best to stick to their task of retrieving supplies from the mansion, but it had been hard to walk through the area without witnessing some sight of gore.

Regardless, they had managed to pick up quite a lot of bedding as well as a small amount of food-Enough for the mutants to survive for a few days.

Charles and Hank had stayed behind to see to Erik's wound. Hank was surprisingly skilled in first aid. The bullet had luckily gone right through Erik's shoulder, missing any vital organs. The absence of the bullet would make the healing process much easier. They had applied constant pressure to the wound and prevented too much bleeding. They then used a makeshift bandage made out of Charles' jacket. The students had managed to retrieve some first aid supplies the following day when they had raided the mansion. Hank redressed the wound accordingly. Erik was resting peacefully on the cold concrete floor of the bunker.

Kitty had taken quite the liking to Erik. She had saw him get shot and refused to leave his side. She was currently sleeping a few feet away from them both. Charles was relieved that the commotion between him and Erik had not woken her up. She was quite worried about "Mr. Erik" and had a great deal of difficulty in getting to sleep. The younger children did not understand the idea of the undead yet. But in reality, neither did Charles

Charles held a small amount of comfort in the fact that Erik was by his side. He had been hurt so badly that day on the beach, physically and emotionally. He had lost his best friend, and his sister-the two most important people in his life. It felt so wonderful to have them both back. Charles only wished it was under different circumstances. He shuffled a little closer to Erik. There was no hiding the fact that he loved his friend very much, but it was not the time and place for silly things like that. He had his Erik, Raven and students to protect.

Charles reached into Erik's mind and felt that his friend was still in quite a lot of pain. Focusing his thoughts, he drew the pain out, pulling some of it into himself. Erik's shoulder still hurt, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been before. Charles couldn't stand to think of Erik being in pain. He had suffered so much throughout his life. Charles so badly wanted him to be comfortable.

* * *

><p>"Charles?" Erik whispered into the darkness. He had been able to feel the pain subside and knew it had been Charles using his power.<p>

"Yes my friend?"

"Thank you." Erik reached out and reclaimed his friend's hand, and held on tightly while he drifted off to sleep.

Charles closed his eyes as well. He needed as much sleep as he could get. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.

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><p><strong>Thanks a million for reading!<strong>


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